The Lauder Family – $24.3 Billion

The Lauder family gained its fame and riches from their eponymous cosmetics company, Estee Lauder. Joseph Lauder and his wife, Estee Lauder, founded the company started shortly after World War II began. At the time, they sold their four basic products, a crème pack, all-purposes crème, cleansing oil, and skin lotion, exclusively in New York City.

While they started off as a small company, the Lauder products became an instant hit. Just two years later, the Lauder family had saved enough cash to open their first department store on Saks Fifth Avenue. The rest as they say, is history. By the 1990s, the company became the largest makeup company in the world. So it’s really no wonder that they are sitting on a $24.3 billion fortune!